Summer Skin
by Nicluv1787
Summary: It was a summer she thought lost to memory, until he walked back into her life again. ONESHOT


Title: Summer Skin

Author: Nicluv1787  
Rating: T

Genre: Romance

CU/AU: AU

Prompt: Memories

Characters: Sango/Kouga

Words: 2089

Summary: A summer love story.

Warning: little WAFFy towards the end.

A/N: Title inspired by the song by the same name, by Death Cab for Cutie. I tried for days to work out a canon story, but my muse wasn't having it. So, here you go. This Also won First place at Inuyasha_et_al On live journal.

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The last person you expect is also the first person to reappear in your life. Would she have come here if she had known, possibly no. But it's hard to say the different roads life will take you down. That summer had seemed lost to memory. But her heart skipped a beat just the same, her breathing hitched when he came into view. He had those same summer blue eyes she remembered…

_Sango slid her back pack off her shoulder letting it fall to the grass beside her. Raising her hands above her head, she stretched out her tight muscles from the long drive. When a definite pop sounded, she was satisfied enough to let her arms fall to her side. Sango scanned the horizon of her new summer home, Camp Greenleaf, a specialty camp for troubled inner city youth. Fresh faced out of high school, Sango was looking to make a difference before moving on to college, and then her career. She had decided to dedicate her summer to these children, as a camp counselor. _

_With a determined nod, she headed through the gates of camp. The down trodden feel of the children was nearly palpable. She smiled at a few she passed, but most looked away. She knew she'd have her work cut out for her. Distracted by her new fervor to help these children, Sango didn't notice the crumbling steps until it was too late. The ground came up quicker than she thought possible. She prepared to make impact by jutting her arms out in front of her. Before she made contact however, she experienced a feeling of weightlessness. Sango realized as she was being pulled away from the ground someone had caught her, someone with strong arms. _

_Twirling within his grasp she was met with sparkling blue eyes, and a cheeky grin. _

"_Watch your step," he teased. _

_Sango pulled out of his grasp, a slight blush staining her cheeks. "Thanks, I'll be more careful from now on… I'm sorry. I don't even know your name."_

"_Kouga," he grinned, "and you?"_

"_Sango. Nice to meet you." She held out her hand for him to shake, "Are you a counselor here to?" she asked conversationally. _

"_I am, I'm in charge of Oak. How about you?_

"_Fox."_

_He nodded, "I would have to agree, you are."_

_Sango blushed crimson, "W-what?" she stammered._

"_You look like the type to manage Fox. They're a pretty tough group. What'd you think I meant?" he asked cheekily. _

"_Nothing." Sango turned on her heel, "Nice to meet you Kouga. But I have to greet my campers."_

"_Of course. We'll be seeing each other around, I'm sure."_

He was across a crowded room, there's no way he could see her. Yet, a part of her wanted him to see her. What would he do if he _did _see her? Would he even remember her? It'd been so many years, for all she knew he'd married and had a family by now.

What'd she care it was just one summer after all…

"_Hiten, you're doing a great job. This painting it has so many colors, and it's very expressive," Kagome congratulated her student. _

_Hiten turned wide eyes, full of admiration, towards his teacher, "Thanks, Kagome."_

_Kagome ruffled the young man's hair, before moving across the room where Sango and her cabin were attempting to make pinecone bird feeders. Sango had her hands covered in peanut butter looking hopelessly lost. _

"_Need help?" Kagome offered._

_Sango looked up from her peanut butter mess, "Would you?"_

_Kagome took a seat beside her, "You need to roll the pinecone in the seeds, after you put the peanut butter on. Like this." Kagome demonstrated the technique to disinterested members of Fox cabin. _

_Sango threw her hands up, "Of course you'd get it right." She sighed. _

_Kagome looked over at her new friend, "need a break?"_

"_Yeah, I think so," Sango replied, "Everyone, work on your bird feeders, I'll be right back." _

_Sango rose from her chair, wiping the peanut butter from her hands; she and Kagome trailed out the back exit. _

_Sango let out a heavy sigh before resting her head against the wood of the art building, "What am I doing wrong Kagome? I can't seem to get through to these kids."_

"_You do have the most difficult cabin of girls in camp," Kagome pointed out. _

"_Yeah, and I thought I could handle it. But nothing is getting through to them, I've tried being nice, I've tried listening to them… I'm making freaking pinecone bird feeders with them for Christ's sake." Sango threw up her arms in exasperation. _

_Kagome rested a reassuring hand on Sango's shoulder, "Maybe they don't need you to be __**nice.**__"_

_Sango blinked a few times at Kagome, "What do you mean?" _

"_Maybe, your group needs some tough love."_

_All the wheels clicked into place. "Of course, why didn't I think of that? I have the perfect idea too. Those kids won't know what hit them."_

"_Pick up the pace!" Sango shouted, at the once unruly group of girls passed her by, now a precision team. No one could've guessed it only took a little discipline and some physical exercise to turn them from the worst cabin to the top cabin. In a little less than a month they'd gone from no camp spirit points, to being one of the top contenders of the highly sought after, Camp Greenleaf Cup. They could be the summer champions, if they kept it up at this pace. _

_Sango clapped her hands together to get their attention. "All right, everyone gather around." The girls all moved in taking a knee. "You're all doing great." She smiled. "Keep up the good work, and there's no way we'll lose to Badger Cabin at next week's relay race!" mixed cheers sounded at her proclamation, "now go get some dinner." She waved them all off with the back of her hand. The girls each high fived Sango as they exited the field. _

_Sango watched them go admiring her own hard work. She'd had her doubts in the beginning, but they really were a good bunch of girls. They just needed some guidance was all. _

"_Impressive," a masculine voice purred. _

_Sango twirled around to meet the gaze of the cocky head counselor of Oak Cabin; Kouga. "Thanks." Sango nodded in his direction heading towards the mess hall; Kouga jogged to catch up with her. _

"_I was wondering if you'd like to eat dinner with me," he asked keeping his tone casual. _

_Sango glanced at him out the corner of her eye, "I guess, don't you need to eat with your kids?"_

"_I think they'll make it for one night don't you?" he winked. _

_Sango blushed not meeting her gaze. _

"_What harm is in dinner?"_

He spotted her across the room. His arm flew up in the air to wave her down. A part of her wanted to run, to pretend like she had no idea who he was. Then he was approaching her. She took a deep breath preparing for the inevitable.

_She awoke late at night to light rapping on her bedroom window. She shot up in bed clutching her sheet to her chest._

"_Sango," a voice whispered just outside the window._

_Sango blinked a few times letting her eyes adjust to the dim light, "Kouga?" she asked in disbelief. _

"_Come out," he whispered._

_She glanced over at her clock, "Are you kidding? It's the middle of the night."_

"_Come on. I want to show you something."_

_Sango sighed, "I'll be out in a second. Just let me put on my sweat shirt."_

_A couple minutes later Sango slid out the squeaky front door to the cabin. Kouga met her at the steps with a conspiring grin on his face. _

"_Ready?" he asked._

"_Kouga, what's this all about?" Sango huffed, her hands on hips._

_Kouga took her hand in his own, "Quit being a whiner and come with me already."_

_An expectant chill ran up her body. In the past couple of weeks Kouga and she had gotten pretty close. In fact most of her down time was spent hanging out with him. But something about tonight felt different, special._

_Kouga led her through the forest, which was eerily quiet without the sounds of children's laughter or the echo of the sound system. Kouga never once broke their contact until they reached the lakeside. The full moon danced on the water's edge illuminating a blanket spread out with a bottle of sparkling-cider and a picnic._

"_Kouga…" Sango's brows nit together in confusion, "what is this?"_

_Kouga smirked, "Just something to celebrate your cabin's victory."_

_Sango threw her arms around Kouga's neck, before pulling back a blush on her cheeks. "You shouldn't have done all this… Kaede will kick us both out if she found out…"_

_He pressed a finger to her lips, "Stop being such a worrier."_

_Sango crossed her arms over her chest, "Humpf."_

"_You coming or not?" he called, already reclining on the blanket._

_Hesitantly, she followed, taking a seat Indian style, at the opposite end of the blanket. Kouga opened the basket to a smorgash board of dishes. He opened several containers, before offering her a plate of chocolate covered strawberries. Sango took one from the plate, bringing it to her lips. Kouga's eyes never left her once._

_Sometime later the plates were cleared away, and the two of them laid sprawled out on the blankets; a respectable distance between them. _

"_I can't believe this summer is almost over," Sango sighed. _

"_Seems like just yesterday I was catching you as you fell," Kouga remarked._

_Sango laughed, "What would I have done without you there."_

_Kouga brushed a tentative hand over Sango's. She looked down before grasping his hand in her own. He smiled at her, before looking back up at the sky. _

"_What will you do once the summer's over?" Kouga asked._

_Sango sighed, "Go to school. Get my degree…" She paused as Kouga stroked the knuckles of her hand. "…how about you?"_

"_I dunno," he shrugged rolling over onto his stomach, releasing their contact. Sango's breath hitched as he moved in closer to her, their bodies a mere hand's span away."Same as you I guess. Do the expected you know?"_

_Sango nodded, her eyes locked on to Kouga's lips, her tongue darted out to wet her own lips. "Kouga…?"_

_He leaned in, his lips brushing hers in a feather light kiss before pulling away. _

"_I really like you, Sango."_

_Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, and words seemed choked in the back of her throat. "Me too."_

_Kouga leaned in for another kiss, much hungrier than the first, parting her lips easily with his tongue. Sango melted into him. Letting herself give into desire. That night they explored one another's bodies beneath the summer moon._

There he was in the living flesh, the same Kouga. He shared that same easy smile with her, he always had. Her hearted fluttered a little, even after all these years. Funny to think memories like that would last, it had only been one summer…

_Sango dropped her bag onto the grass, taking one last look at Camp Greenleaf. It sure was a summer to remember. She smiled a little. It was bitter sweet to leave it all behind. Kouga called out her name bringing her back from her musings. She turned to him as he jogged up the path to her._

"_Sango," he said breathlessly, "You weren't leaving without saying goodbye were you?" He gave her his cheeky grin._

"_Of course not." She smiled sweetly. _

_Kouga wrapped his arms around her waist bring her head into his chest, "I'm sad this has to end…" he whispered into her hair. _

"_We both knew from the beginning it could never last," she breathed into his skin, snuffing up his scent to last her at least the trip home._

"_Will you be back next summer?" he asked hopefully._

_She nodded into his chest, fighting the tears that pooled in her eyes. "No."_

"_We'll always have this summer," he cooed, running his hands through her hair. _

_The honk of the bus horn cut through the air. Sango pulled away, her hands lingering in his. _

"_Goodbye Kouga."_

"_Goodbye Sango."_

"Kouga!" Sango exclaimed, "I haven't seen you in years."

"Six, I believe." He grinned.

Sango shook her head in disbelief, "You look good."

"So do you," he winked, "And are you going to introduce me?" He motioned to the third in their party.

Sango smiled grabbing the hand of the man next to her, "This is Miroku, my husband."


End file.
